The Garden Life of a Little Gardener

What's it like to go out to eat with a group of chefs, or a top chef with incredible skills?

Zhou Quan didn't know it before, but he believed that he would know soon.

Morning tea culture is popular here in Suizhou. As soon as it was dawn in the morning, Chef Bao woke him up and went to the lobby to gather with the rest of the brothers and family members. Go to the best tea house nearby to have morning tea.

Zhou Quan didn't know the difference between morning tea and breakfast. Isn't it strange to drink tea this early in the morning?

With some curiosity, he obediently mixed in the team.

He greeted everyone, and after a few glances, he really didn't see anyone from Zou Huli's side here.

The brothers and sisters were walking in front, turning their heads from time to time to look at the family members behind them, Zhou Quan was listening to their chatting behind, and found that no one mentioned the destination for this morning tea, but they all seemed to be Knowing the same, walking forward with the same purpose.

Seeing their tacit understanding, Zhou Quan didn't ask much, and the little girl from Senior Brother Zhou's family followed behind. The two of them had a great time playing.

After walking through several streets and alleys, everyone came to a small three-story building. On the second floor of that small three-story building, there was a plaque that said HSBC Tea House.

It is a building that looks very historic, like the architectural style of the 60s and [-]s of the last century. If it weren’t for the plaque hanging on the upper floor, Zhou Quan would never think that this is a teahouse for breakfast. The place.

When I got closer, I realized that the business of this teahouse seemed to be very good. They came early and went out at dawn. There was no delay on the way, but even when they entered the teahouse like this, there was no place on the first floor.

Zhou Quan walked in and scanned around, and found that most of the people sitting here having morning tea are middle-aged and elderly people. There are usually a pot of tea and some snacks on their countertops. Reading the newspaper, the breath of life is very strong.

Chef Bao and his brothers seem to be familiar with the bustle of people in this teahouse, and the waiter who is no longer young in this teahouse seems to be very familiar with them.

Zhou Quan watched as Junior Brother Dou chatted for a while with the uncle in the Suizhou dialect he didn't understand, and then they laughed and parted, and everyone went upstairs and the uncle continued his work.

Different from the wooden square tables and long benches downstairs, the dining tables upstairs are all round, which is very common in big restaurants. There is a fixed round table at the bottom, and a rotating and removable one at the top. The kind of glass round table.

In addition to the table, the stool is also separate, which is the kind of sample stool covered with coral fleece and with a large backrest at the back.

Zhou Quan liked this arrangement quite a bit. Although these tables and chairs didn't have the old style downstairs, they were still convenient to use when there were many people.

There weren't many guests upstairs, so they chose a seat by the window. Junior Brother Dou, who was very familiar with this place, didn't need the waiter upstairs to entertain him, so he found out the menu by himself.

The long menu is for Zhou Quan and his family members. Chef Bao's seniors seem to be regular customers. After sitting down, they don't even need to look at the menu. They just announce the names of a series of refreshments.

Zhouquan listened to those rice rolls, shrimp dumplings, siu mai, steamed chicken feet, mixed with oolong tea, Pu'er tea, chrysanthemum tea, etc., which sound like a mix and match, and the mosquito coil circles in his mind.

The salt water corner is paired with oolong tea, and the boat porridge is paired with Keemun black tea. This combination is so strange.

When it was Zhou Quan's turn, the Northeast man who had never had morning tea and couldn't understand and didn't know how to match it blinked his eyes. He tried hard to recall the menu at home, and after much deliberation, he finally remembered a dish that seemed to be a refreshment. s things.

So he said, "Just fish porridge."

"Don't you want tea?" the uncle in the waiting hall asked.

"No need, he can just drink from my side." Chef Bao who was sitting next to him said so.

Zhou Quan, who was sitting at the side, was the last person to order food at this table. After he ordered, the waiter left. After a while, a large pot of hot tea and a large bowl were brought to him. Zhou Quan was thinking about who ordered this, so he Seeing that everyone started to use this pot of hot tea as boiling water to rinse their tea cups, tea bowls and various tableware.

Zhou Quan followed everyone's example with a dazed face, and then the waiter removed the things, and soon the tea and refreshments they ordered were brought to the table one by one.

The uncle has a very good memory, and he remembers what each guest at each table has ordered, so when serving refreshments and tea, he will place the order by his side.

Soon Zhouquan and Chef Bao’s round table was filled with shrimp dumplings, steamed pork ribs in black bean sauce, rice rolls, barbecued pork buns and a pot of Pu’er tea. Said: "Young man, do you want to sprinkle some pepper?"

Soon all the things ordered by everyone were served, and everyone chatted and enjoyed the delicious morning tea.

Zhou Quan was not very interested in the fish porridge he ordered, after all, it was something he had eaten before, but he was very interested in the rice rolls and steamed pork ribs in black bean sauce ordered by Brother Baoyan, after all, it was something he hadn’t eaten before. something to eat.

While Chef Bao was eating the char siew buns, Zhou Quan picked up the ribs. He was a little surprised when he touched the chopsticks. opened.

Put the fallen pork ribs into the mouth, an indescribable mixed aroma immediately fills the mouth, the aroma of scallion-flavored fish sauce lingers in the mouth and tongue, the meaty fish aroma is completely integrated, and the teeth and cheeks are left behind after eating. Fragrant, even if the meat is swallowed, the fragrance still stays in the mouth.

Well, it's delicious. Brother Baoyan really knows how to order, so it's right to eat his food.

After eating someone else's morning tea and planning to continue eating, Zhouquan didn't stop his chopsticks. After enjoying the pork ribs in black bean sauce, he turned his attention to the long-coveted rice rolls.

Rice rolls are also called roll noodles. I heard that this thing is very famous in Suizhou. Whether it is snacks, teahouses, restaurants or hotels, rice rolls are indispensable in shops here.

Chef Bao ordered beef rice rolls. Before serving, the chef cut the rice rolls and served them with dipping sauce for the convenience of eating.

Zhou Quan carefully picked up a piece of rice roll from a plate, dipped it in the sauce, put it in his mouth and tasted it carefully.

Well, the dipping sauce is very common, just light soy sauce and chili oil, but the piece of rice roll in the mouth is really amazing.

The taste of rice rolls is not the kind of dumpling stuffed with cold skin that Zhouquan thought before, it is completely different from beef stuffed dumplings, it has a different taste.

The rice skin wrapped on the outside of the beef is very thin, crystal clear, and has a particularly good juice-absorbing ability. Not only the juice that Zhou Quan just dipped in, but the rice skin on the outside and the beef juice that was steamed inside are also well preserved. Going down, it feels moist.

There is also the beef stuffing wrapped in rice rolls, which is not the kind of muddy beef stuffing made with a blender, but beef cubes with granules and a chewy texture.

The glutinous skin, the thick and fresh sauce, and the springy beef filling, this rice roll is really in line with Zhou's heart.

Licking the smell of meat that still remained in his mouth, Zhou Quan continued to stick out his chopsticks like Chef Bao’s other tea dish. I heard that the shrimp dumpling of this shop is a signature, and every table of guests who come here must order it. Among the nine people at a table, five people ordered it, so the taste must be unmistakable.

All the shrimp dumplings in this teahouse are made with fresh shrimp, never frozen shrimp.

Zhou Quan, who has eaten Chef Bao’s Three Fresh Meat Dumplings, knows the difference between fresh shrimp and frozen shrimp fillings, so he is looking forward to this signature shrimp dumpling.

There are four shrimp dumplings neatly arranged in a steamer. They are small ingot-shaped and look very cute.

Zhou Quan picked up one of them with his chopsticks, didn't dip any sauce in it, and didn't take a bite, but directly swallowed the shrimp dumpling in one gulp.

Although the appearance of fish rice rolls is also crystal clear, compared with rice rolls, the skin of shrimp dumplings is much more flexible, because the fillings inside are more delicious because of the presence of fresh shrimps.

The crispy shrimp meat is wrapped in eggs and shredded bamboo shoots, and it tastes crunchy.

Although the filling is soft and moist, it is easy to eat. It is delicious, crisp, tender and not greasy. No wonder this shrimp dumpling has become the signature dim sum of this restaurant.

These teas are all in line with Zhou Quan's intentions. As a native of the Northeast, he came to Suizhou to have morning tea, and he didn't feel any discomfort at all. There was no distinction between the north and the south at all, which shows the charm of these teas.

When Zhou Quan was eating Chef Bao's tea, Chef Bao sat aside and ate the pork buns silently. After eating the pork buns, he brought Zhou Quan's bowl of fish porridge and drank it quietly. Refreshments were ignored.

When Zhou Quan was having a lively meal, the tables turned, and they began to share the delicious food, and soon a basket of steamed chicken feet stopped in front of Zhou Quan.

Seeing this, Zhou Quan, who was gnawing on the ribs, looked up and saw Chef Bao's wife opposite him smilingly saying to him: "This steamed chicken feet is also the signature of this restaurant. The chicken feet need to be deep-fried before steaming. It's very good, eat and see."

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Zhou Quan, following Chef Bao's call, picked up the chicken feet and thanked the lady opposite.

The chicken feet clamped by Zhouquan are different from the chicken feet in the north in terms of the ingredients. The sharp claws on the front of the chicken feet are all cut off, and the curved parts at the back are also chopped off, leaving only the claws And a little bit above the palm treasure.

The chicken feet treated in this way look very beautiful, Zhouquan smelled it, and it had a salty taste.

With a light bite, the raised tendons and skin are immediately disconnected from the bones. Because of the high gelatin content, the supposedly springy chicken feet taste soft, tender and soft, almost like jelly.

This miraculous feeling made Zhou Quan's eyes brighten, and his sister-in-law, who had been paying attention to his expression, said with a smile, "How about it, isn't it delicious? The steamed chicken feet in this store are delicious and nutritious, and there are also cosmetic products. As a result, it is very popular among everyone, especially women, and basically every table has to order it, and the popularity is no worse than the signature shrimp dumpling."

Zhou Quan, who was spitting out his bones, agreed when he heard the words, and at the same time picked up a siu mai when the table turning paused.

Zhou Quan was very full from this breakfast. After tasting all the refreshments on the table, he imitated everyone else and drank some tea.

Although drinking tea in the morning felt a bit strange to Zhou Quan, it did not prevent him from being satisfied with this tea.

After paying the bill, everyone went out of the teahouse, Junior Brother Dou patted his belly and said, "I have to drink tea and be at ease, seniors, we should get together often when we have time."

Hearing this, his eldest brother laughed and said, "I don't think you want to have a party with us, but you want to eat tea from Huifeng Tea House."

"I have two ideas. I want to have a party with my seniors and have morning tea. Are you from Suizhou, if you don't drink morning tea in the morning, you will not be energetic all day long."

Everyone laughed and agreed, Junior Brother Dou looked at his watch and said: "It's almost eight o'clock, there is still work to do today, all senior brothers, speed up, aim at Mingyue Tower, and go find the master."